


Stay for a while

by SmokyCinnamonRoll



Series: catch your thoughts (and your breath) [4]
Category: Warframe
Genre: Gen, Implied/Referenced Self Harm, Sort Of, Suicidal Ideation, it gets better at the end
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2018-10-23
Updated: 2018-10-23
Packaged: 2019-08-06 04:51:57
Rating: Teen And Up Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 1
Words: 822
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/16381766
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/SmokyCinnamonRoll/pseuds/SmokyCinnamonRoll
Summary: “And, really, how much would it take to kill him? How far could he actually let himself go?”





	Stay for a while

He was being dragged down a corridor, into a place he knew he didn’t want to go. He was screaming all sorts of variations on ‘let me go and get the hell out,’ but the nameless figures did not respond other than a laugh or two. He was merely entertainment.

In a flash, he was in a different room, no longer the corridor. One was holding him upright, the other seemed to be consulting a list; judging by the way they were mumbling. And then, all too close to him, a voice whispered.

“Ooh, Warframe! I wonder what that is... well, you’re about to find out, aren’t you?”

He was in what felt like the most pain he’d ever been in, in his entire life. And all he could do was scream in agony – there was no escape.

 

A blissful silence, and then he was seeing himself slumped on the floor, dragged back down that corridor. Faceless people laughed.

 

•••

 

“Hey, you alright there?”

He jumped. Had he fallen asleep? That would explain the dream, or rather, more of a nightmare. But even then, his grip on the details of it was slipping. Just like his ability to stay awake, it seemed.

“Yeah, I’m... I’m fine,” he said, making the effort to wave his hand in a dismissive way. A quick glance upwards revealed Quinn to be the speaker. “Did you want anything?” He sighed.

“Uh, no, I was just passing by, but... well...”

“What?”

“Well, you weren’t really... making any noise, but you... looked like you were... in pain? I was just, um... making sure you were alright.”

“Yeah. Fine. Tired, but, well, you know how that is,” he said. He realized that his hand was still sort of in the air, and put it back on the desk.

He was suddenly very aware of the fact that it would be very easy to kidnap him while he was sleeping. He was also aware, just a moment later, that the idea of being kidnapped was quite absurd. And it hasn’t really been kidnapping, anyways.

“Um, what wasn’t... really kidnapping?” Quinn asked.

“I... what? I don’t know, kid, don’t ask me.”

He glanced up at Quinn, and for a moment, he looked like he didn’t have a face. Like he was, well, something else. Something that was out to get him. But no, no, it was just Quinn. Just one of his half-friends.

He almost laughed in relief, but he got the feeling that would only worry Quinn more. “Well, I guess you can be on your way now,” he said while stretching. How long had he actually been asleep for?

Quinn didn’t move.

“Don’t worry about me. Really. I’ll be fine.”

“Yeah, but-”

“Hey kid? Shut up and go before you start getting on my nerves.”

This time, Quinn did leave, and went rather fast. Instead of wasting his time wondering why, he looked at what exactly was on the desk. Seeing his lighter just... sitting there, he wondered why he would just leave it like that. In was unmistakably his - the engraving on it wasn’t hard to miss. Even if he himself had no idea what it said, he knew it was something important.

And still, after that last fiasco, he really didn’t want to leave it lying around like that. Somebody could take it. And it really was important to him. He just didn’t know why.

The lighter, as far as he could tell, wasn’t important to him in the way the pocket watch was. Speaking of which, that ticking was still, still going. Strictly speaking, it would be a great way of keeping the time, but the noise just almost never stopped.

Stopping that train of thought, he made a halfhearted effort to get off the somewhat uncomfortable chair he’d fell asleep in, and ended up falling on the floor instead of getting up like anybody else would.

Although, the floor was more comfortable. But now he was faced with the dilemma of either staring at the ceiling until he nodded off again, or expending the energy to stand up and walk somewhere. Preferably his room.

Nobody could see him in his room if he locked the door; nobody could see the blood dripping off of him. And, really, how much would it take to kill him? How far could he actually let himself go?

Despite the lurking sense of fear tied to falling back asleep, perhaps it was better to stay there. And... would anybody really notice? Quinn might, after a while. Vinsu would probably notice faster, if only because he hadn’t yet realized that he honestly wanted nothing to do with him.

So perhaps in the quiet of the room, excusing the ticking, he could stay for a while. See where things would go. Find an answer to all the things he just couldn’t remember.

He could stay for a while.

Just until he let go again.

**Author's Note:**

> I wanted to end on a sort of positive note, as I am apparently incapable of write anything remotely fluffy.  
> I am trying to do a fluff dw thing, though. We’ll see how that turns out :P  
> And, even if you don’t know what’s going on with nidus exactly.. well, when fandoms collide...


End file.
